Well I was going thru a box of crap today looking for my 'proof of previous registration' for my Yamaha FJR1300 so I can get it re-registered after a 4 year lay off (4 years to the day almost, the registration expired on the 15th of June 2016, and it'll be re-registered on the 17th of June 2020) and I found some old pics, which almost brought a tear to an old man's eye. (mine, I'm really old)
Here's my 1976 Z900 (KZ900 in the US) which was actually built in 1975, but as such, it wasn't a Z1-B. I probably took this pic when I bought it in mid 1985, as I rode my 1981 Yamaha XT500 to Bathurst in April 1985. I'd sold my first K1 in 1984 to buy a 1975 Goldwing, which was a mistake, it was fcuked, and ate money, with little result. I think my old Bevel Drive Ducati 900SS was more reliable......
Terry's Z900 1986 4 by
Terry Prendergast, on Flickr
The 900 was a great bike though, it had belonged to a Navy guy who'd bought it new, but didn't get much chance to ride it, as he was at sea for a long time. He'd had a pet Cockatoo who'd eaten the seat cover and half the foam, and the original pipes had rotted off it, so the bike shop, Melbourne Motorcycles, had replaced them with one of their "in house" 4 into 2 systems (that were hanging in the rafters from back in the 70's when they were "Sonic Choppers") and had the seat recovered. It had a whopping 8000 Km (5000 miles) when I bought it for $1600 (you could add another zero now, for a really good one) and sold it for the same amount in 1987. (albeit with twice the mileage, new progressive fork springs and air caps, Marzocchi Strada rear shocks, Pirelli Phantom tyres, and Yamaha LC350 handlebars) It was a great bike and I only sold it because I wanted to buy a 1985 "Iron Head" Harley Sportster, and the Harley shop didn't trade Jap bikes.
Here's my faithful(ish) hound, Ben, who guarded all my bikes when I lived in that Army house, as I had a carport, but no lockable garage. He must have done a good job, because the Army house was in a pretty rough neighbourhood but nothing ever got stolen. It didn't hurt that all my Army neighbours had big dogs too. I say "Faithfull(ish)" because he did take off a couple of times to chase some tail with a pack of strays, but we always got him back. He lived to the ripe old age of 15, and has been resting in my mother in laws garden since 1997. The saddest part of getting old is remembering all those you loved, who've left you behind.
Terry's Z900 1986 1 by
Terry Prendergast, on Flickr
I still had my Yamaha XT500, and like a dick, I sold it after I bought the 900. Like the 900 and my Sportster and pretty much every bike since, I kick myself for selling them, but back then I needed to sell one bike to raise the money for the next. Maybe old age isn't so bad in that regard? I'd love to have another one, but I probably couldn't kick start it with the same gusto that I could in my 20's. Maybe I'll buy one anyway, and just look at it........
Terry's XT500 1986 by
Terry Prendergast, on Flickr